Collection

This collection chronicles the history of food consumption, eating habits and social norms surrounding meals, as well as providing information about the food industry, food processing, packaging, advertising, and the development and promotion of new food trends. The documents help paint a portrait of Canadian domestic life, primarily from the 1910s to the 1980s, by addressing themes like nutrition, the role of women in the family home, the economy and etiquette.

The collection includes nearly 1,000 cookbooks and recipe booklets, most of them promotional in nature, produced between the mid-18th and early 21st centuries. The majority of these documents were either published in Canada or feature products widely consumed by Canadians.

Numerous recipe booklets promote specific food products. Unlike cookbooks, these booklets were published primarily by private companies to showcase their products, such as Robin Hood and Monarch flours, Campbell soups, Reynolds aluminum foil, Carnation evaporated milk, Catelli pasta and Magic baking powder. Several booklets were also published by governments and various producer associations with the aim of encouraging the consumption of foodstuffs like beef, poultry, fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Finally, some of the works in this collection spotlight individuals -- real or fictional -- who have since become famous, like Jehane Benoît and Marie Fraser. These booklets were sometimes distributed free of charge, or else sold very cheaply, which explains their popularity.

There are also several scrapbooks, notebooks and personal journals containing various tips and recipes. These documents provide a more intimate look at culinary practices and how they were transmitted from one generation to the next.